Electric Relaxation
Relax, settle down, and check it out. If you were still on the fence about KDM, Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 can more than dispel that doubt. It’s not even Summer at the time of writing this, but we genuinely feel this just might be 2022’s most significant automotive contribution. Allow us to explain why you can wholeheartedly believe the hype.
Electric and hybrid vehicles tend to have this need to be as sci-fi and futuristic as possible. This seldom works well. Take Toyota’s Prius. It’s a wonderful car, truly. But you’d be hard pressed to call it attractive. Its myriad of lines, angles, fin-like protrusions give it an odd set of proportions, and is a clear exercise in function over form. Hyundai’s first IONIQ seemed to draw heavy inspiration from this shape. But lucky for us, Hyundai seem to have soon realized imitation does not always flatter. So here's the 2nd iteration of the IONIQ. The 5. Just go with it.
This new IONIQ 5 looks like it’d be right at home on the streets of Minority Report. Yet it’s not quite so alien that it becomes a garish sight on our roads. It bears an elegantly aggressive, angular design with subtle curvature used sparingly, but effectively. Much like the interiors we love in Mazda and Volvo, the beauty of simplicity will keep this car looking fresh for years to come. Much like every digital image and display we see is made up of a multitude of microscopic squares – the pixel – Hyundai tapped into this digital familiarity for the IONIQ 5 – something they refer to as the ‘interplay of Parametric Pixels.’ You can see it quite literally from back to front – with headlight and tail light design made up of purely straight lines and squares. It’s retro, modern and futuristic all at once.
That penchant for pixels continues inwards too. Subtle, and not so subtle square patterns adorn a beautiful interior. A series of squares replaces the typical Hyundai logo on the steering wheel – instead spelling out ‘H’ in morse code – and allowing further interplay of old and new world tech meshing. Despite how pretentious that sentence sounds, we really do mean it. This cockpit feels like a car ought to. Things are where you expect them to be. There’s no reinvention of the wheel. But if you step into virtually any regular, internal combustion vehicle after this, it just might feel more than a little antiquated. Kudos as well to Hyundai for going with a stark, elegant, Apple-esque white bezel around its digital displays, helping it blend even better into our tester’s ‘Grey’ (it is a rather nice, bright off-white, like an eggshell) interior.
We also need to praise the visual design and intuitiveness of the digital displays – including the augmented reality Head-Up Display. Essentially this can display moving direction markers when using GPS. It’s still an early example of the tech, but its integrated seamlessly. If it proves distracting, it can always be disabled in favour of a pretty standard HUD. But to take things even further back, for those who enjoy the contents of FM airwaves, your radio station will be displayed in some digitally rendered vacuum tubes. See previous pretentious sentence. But with such intuitive design abound, we’re not sure why Hyundai decided to bury temperature controls in a sub-menu rather than having it readily available, or relegating one of the few physical buttons to such a necessary function. The beautifully functional space does lose some points for a somewhat modest cargo space, in frunk and back. We’re also not a huge fan of a significant chunk of screen relegated to letting us know if we’re using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. We would have liked to see that better utilized as a media and map split screen for instance - and burn in over prolonged use becomes a concern.
Across the internet, you will find no shortage of automotive enthusiasts who are quick to dismiss any EV as a soulless tool, all because one particular TV presenter said so once. Yes, an EV will never present the same thrill you get from the howling V8 of a Mustang. Instead it’ll kick you into the back of your seat with a gluttonous serving of instant torque. Set the IONIQ 5 into sport mode, take note of the lovely stylized red gauge cluster, and mash that pedal. This hefty thing can quietly, gracefully and brutally propel itself to 100 km/h in under 5 seconds. No matter what metric you hold it against, that is stupendously quick.
Of course, such spirited driving will do numbers on an EV’s range. Such demanding bursts of power are not really the name of the game here. It’s certainly capable of such – but any buyer will rather be spending their time in the doldrums of daily commutes. Luckily stop and go traffic is where an EV shines, making use of regenerative braking to help replenish some of that lost charge. The IONIQ 5 has several levels of regeneration, ranging from none at all, to the most aggressive option that allows for one-pedal commutes. But with over 460km of reported range (will vary depending on weather and driving habits), range anxiety is virtually nonexistent. Being such a heavy vehicle, the IONIQ feels planted, safe and remarkably comfortable – even on Toronto’s awful roads. We’d recommend opting for the smaller wheels, rather than our tester’s (admittedly beautiful) 20-inchers. The smaller wheels will make that comfy ride a little better, and net you some bonus range at the same time. Give an inch, gain a few miles.
No EV is cheap in Canada. Sadly it is simply the reality of the current market. The most basic IONIQ 5 starts at just under $47,000. Our fully loaded tester with the Ultimate Package featuring a Bose sound system, seats that dare to use ‘Premium’ and ‘Leatherette’ in the same breath, the fancy AR HUD, static sunroof and more, pushed that cost all the way up to $61,824.
Despite a (gutless) push from our leaders to encourage prospective buyers to go ‘green,’ many of us will not have much options, or incentive. Some provinces do offer a rebate, in addition to a federal rebate. But Canada is simply lacking in EV infrastructure – and what support there is – sometimes goes forgotten. On more than a few occasions during our week of evaluation, we came across charging stations that were in need of maintenance. Our country’s housing market is a train wreck – forcing many of us into condos with shared garages – where the option to install a charging station simply does not exist. If you’re really lucky, your garage may have a few dedicated spots for EV and Hybrid charging, but that is a rarity. This is no fault of Hyundai, or any EV manufacturer. But it remains an important factor for any prospective buyer who doesn’t enjoy the luxury of home ownership. For those who do – Hyundai offers at-home charging stations with the purchase of an IONIQ 5. But speaking of - good luck actually getting one. Stocks are lower than a crypto crash. You may find yourself waiting well over a year to take delivery of your new electric baby. But once you get behind the wheel, that wait will undoubtedly be worth it. If you can swallow the upfront price anyway.
But what’s with the lack of rear wiper though?
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